The following Conservative candidates are standing for election on Thursday, May 4.

There will be no election in the Burrator ward for the time being, owing to the recent sad death of Green candidate Neil Jameson.

Bere Ferrers — Peter Crozier

Peter has been a councillor for the last four years and is seeking re-election. During that time, he has served on the planning, audit, medium term financial strategy and also overview and scrutiny committees. Over the last two years he has been the economy lead on the hub committee.

Bere Ferrers — Angela Blackman

Angela has now been a councillor for 16 months but has lived within the ward for over 12 years.  Her son went to the local school from the age of four. She is active in a number of community projects with a special focus on social housing  and the transport infrastructure.

Bridestowe — Caroline Mott

Caroline runs a local farm with her husband and family.  She has been honoured to represent the ward and its community for the past four years. Caroline also had the privilege of representing the Borough as Mayor for the past two years at various regional and national events.

Bridestowe — Terry Southcott

Terry has been a councillor for four years and has been instrumental in setting up a ward-wide Speedwatch group that is now active in Lewdown, Lydford, Sourton and Thornton Cross. This is starting to have a marked effect on the traffic in the area.  He has also been delighted to work with local community groups to enhance the area we live and work in. This has included litter picking, tree planting and general tidy up sessions.

Buckland Monachorum — Philip Sanders

Philip is a former district councillor for this area and a former leader of West Devon Borough Council — both posts which he was honoured to hold.  He is  also currently the Devon county councillor for Yelverton Rural, which includes this ward, so he is very used to representing residents in this area.

Mary Tavy — Jonathan Gilpin

Jon is a local businessman who runs a hotel in Lydford with his partner. Jon wants to actively seek investment into the local economy to provide high value jobs and opportunities for graduates and school leavers.

MIlton Ford — Neil Jory

Neil was first elected to the council in 2015 and has been the councillor for Milton Ford and leader of the council since 2019.  A former bank manager, school bursar and territorial army soldier he moved to Devon in 2002 and lives in Chillaton with his wife, a nurse, and a very old husky.

Tamarside — Chris Edmonds

Chris is a former bank manager and a longstanding resident of Lifton.  He is chair of the parish council and has been a district councillor since 2015.  He is the lead member responsible for resources and was very pleased that independent auditors praised the way that West Devon 'operates and looks after its finances'.

Tavistock North — David Turnbull

David was brought up in Tavistock and runs a local estate agency business.  He is particularly interested in supporting and enable local businesses which are vital and intrinsic to the economic wellbeing of Tavistock.  

Tavistock North — Judy Hughes

Judy lives in Tavistock and is Cornish born and Devon bred with a stretch in Northern Ireland bringing up her children with her farmer husband. Her current work is in finance and strategy with Central NHS in estates and property. She has a real desire to advocate and assist the people of Tavistock.

Tavistock North — John Gray

John was born and brought up in Devon. He’s built a career specialising in fast-growing technology businesses. If elected he hopes to bring that knowledge to the town — ensuring the interests of local businesses are on the priority list.

Tavistock South East — Debo Sellis

Debo is already active in the area and enjoys listening to you, then rolling up her sleeves and helping residents with real results. Thanks to Debo lobbying Government, working closely with local agencies and our  MP the town will soon see: a replacement new build for Tavistock College, a new Household Recycling Centre at Crowndale, more funding for pothole repairs, improved real-time bus information and progression with the Plymouth rail link.

Tavistock South East — Richard Phillips

Richard Phillips comes from a local family that can be traced on Dartmoor back to the 1700s.  The family farm at Grenofen has been run along organic principles for many decades and includes 40 acres which have been managed as species rich hay meadows for more than 30 years. Richard is self employed, running businesses since the age of 19, and is a councillor on Plasterdown Grouped Parish Council, including Whitchurch.

Tavistock South West — Candice Gynn

Candice was born in Plymouth and finally settled down in Whitchurch in the 1980s following a professional equine career.  She has continuing contacts in Tavistock where she can often be found in the Pannier Market.  She wants to ensure that housing sites in Tavistock — like the Plymouth Road development and Spring Hill — provide quality housing for local families.

Tavistock South West — Andrew Nelson

Andy is previously a long-term resident of Tavistock.  He is a safety and environmental adviser with career encompassing the manufacturing, construction and public sectors.  If elected, he is keen to work with the Devon Integrated Care Board, Devon County Council and local partners to improve health and wellbeing outcomes in the area.

Nicky Heyworth - Chagford

Nicky lives and works in Chagford and has represented the ward since 2019. She is a campaigner for better local walking and cycling links and has supported many community groups and organisations, (including Chagford Farmers Market and The Chagford Regenerative Farming Group). She led renovations to the old empty Spar building to improve the appearance of The Square.

Paul Ridgers - Drewsteignton

Paul has lived in Drewsteignton for more than 25 years and has represented Drewsteignton Ward since 1999. He has been involved with the Recycle Devon campaign for 20 years and has supported small local affordable housing schemes while resisting larger developments in our countryside. He is working with residents in Drewsteignton to get The Drewe Arms re-opened as a community-run pub.

Simon Powell – South Tawton

Simon lives and works in South Zeal and is a former South Tawton parish councillor. Along with his wife Lyn, he has turned the Oxenham Arms from a struggling pub into a thriving business, employing 18 staff. Simon helped to lead the Covid-19 community response by delivering food and supplies to residents who were isolating and has raised money for South Tawton Primary School.

Mike Casbolt – Exbourne

Mike has lived in North Tawton for 20 years. He served as chair of the pre-school committee before it merged with the primary school, which his children attended before moving onto Okehampton College. Passionate about opportunities for young people, Mike wants West Devon Borough Council to work more closely with businesses to create jobs and increase access to local apprenticeships.

Louise Watts – Exbourne

Louise is a former North Tawton town councillor and represented Exbourne Ward at West Devon from 2015-2019. She campaigned successfully alongside our MP Mel Stride and other local residents to retain North Tawton Medical Practice when it was earmarked for closure a decade ago. Louise is the head of finance at Hospiscare for the Greater Exeter Area.

Patrick Kimber – Hatherleigh

A former dairy farmer, Patrick has represented Hatherleigh Ward since 2015 and has worked on the transition from the Old Market to the new facility. When the CQC closed the old Hatherleigh Medical Centre, Patrick took quick action with Mel Stride MP to ensure a new centre was opened in Bridge Street. He hopes to complete the ‘missing link’ of the Tarka Trail from Hatherleigh to Meeth.

Sam Wakeham – Hatherleigh

Sam lives in Hatherleigh and is recently retired after running her own small business. She knows the hard work and dedication it takes to make a business work and wants to use her experience to support any other local business in need of help. She is passionate about protecting our environment, upholding animal welfare standards and preserving local services.

Kevin Ball – Okehampton North

An experienced Okehampton county and borough councillor, Kevin lives in North Street with his wife Della. Their four children all attended Okehampton Primary School and Okehampton College. Kevin was a leading organiser within OkeRail and formed the Okehampton Health Partnership, which succeeded in bringing new outpatient services to our hospital. He is also a director of Okehampton Community Kitchen.

Peter Eastment – Okehampton North

Peter lives in Hatherleigh but knows Okehampton very well as he works in a local shop. He is standing for Okehampton North for the first time alongside two experienced borough councillors in Lois Samuel and Kevin Ball. Among Peter’s priorities are delivering value for the tax payer, supporting local businesses and maximising the economic benefits of The Dartmoor Line.

Lois Samuel – Okehampton North

Lois lives and farms just outside Okehampton with her husband Ben. Her daughter attends Okehampton College. Lois is a trustee of Gilead Foundations – a charity which offers help and rehabilitation for those struggling with addictions or mental health problems. An experienced West Devon Borough Councillor, Lois was elected by Okehampton residents to represent the town on Devon County Council in 2021.

Clare Kemp – Okehampton South

Clare’s background is in education and environmental studies. She spent a decade working in Africa on documentaries about science innovation for the world’s poorest farmers and now tutors local pupils in English and Maths. A borough councillor since 2019, Clare is the WDBC representative on the North Devon Biosphere (which covers Okehampton), working to protect nature, increase biodiversity and deliver cleaner water.

Julie Yelland – Okehampton South

Julie has represented Okehampton South since 2015. As the WDBC representative to OkeRail, Julie helped to make the dream of The Dartmoor Line a reality in 2021 and this year helped to secure £13.5m in national funding for a second station on the eastern edge of town. She is also campaigning for the reopening of the inpatient beds at Okehampton Hospital.